Day 2 of the Findlay Classic
The University of Findlay men's and women's indoor track and field teams hosted day day of the Findlay Classic on Saturday, January 24.
Women:
The shot put competition saw the Oilers earn an automatic bid to the NCAA championship as senior Kendra Averesch excelled again and took first place with her toss of 52'02.75". Taking sixth in the competition was sophomore Liz Streaker who finished with a distance of 40'11.75".
Junior Lydia Guagenti soared in the high jump to a height good enough for an NCAA provisional. She won the contest as she leaped 5'08.00".
Senior Kirsten Gaerke earned a victory in the 400 meter dash as she raced to a time of 59.64, beating teammate, senior Shelby Stump, whose time of 59.78 gave her a close second place finish. Freshman Laura Hernandez's time of 1:00.29 was good enough for fourth place.
Another first place for the Oilers came in the 600 meter run where junior Samantha Grippe took home the price with her solid time of 1:37.29. Finishing in fifth place in the event with a time of 1:41.96 was junior Maud Sanmiquel.
Sanmiquel was also active in the 60 meter hurdles and finished in second place with an excellent time of 9.20. Freshman Milani Glass' time of 9.41 was good enough for third.
The 4x400 meter relay went well for the Oilers and again, Sanmiquel was involved as she ran the first leg. Also running was Hernandez, Gaerke, and Stump. The group finished with a time of 4:04.14. Findlay's 'B' team took second in the race as senior Taylor Ackerman, Grippe, Bettac, and freshman Claire Crum teamed up to earn a time of 4:11.33.
Ackerman placed well in the long jump as she distanced 17'09.00", earning a second place finish in the event.
In the 1000 meter run, junior Erica Bettac proved to be the best in the field as her time of 3:02.03 was good enough for first place.
As the distances increased, the wins for Findlay kept coming as junior Melanie Ruich won with a time of 11:04.67. Finishing fifteen seconds later was freshman Taylor Bolinger whose official time was 11:19.44.
Men
Senior Dillon Webster shined in the 600 meter run as he took first place by almost five seconds. His time of 1:18.73 set both meet and Fieldhouse records, breaking his own mark set last season.
Freshman Sergi Torres earned a first place finish in the 400 meter dash as he sprinted to a time of 49.53, an NCAA provisional qualifier. Finishing less than a second later was teammate, sophomore Maliik Briggs who clocked in with a 50.35. Sophomore Derek Collins' time of 51.96 earned him a fourth place finish in the event.
Another first place for the Oilers came in the 800 meter run where senior Jacob Hayes' time of 1:55.97 earned him top honors.
Findlay's 4x400 meter relay team made up of Collons, Torres, Briggs, and Webster narrowly missed the provisional time but did bring home first place with their time of 3:20.87.
Junior Derek Spindler competed and placed well in the pole vault where he soared to a height of 14'01.25".
Sophomore Alexander Zolotoglavyy earned an NCAA provisional in the triple jump where he took second place with a distance of 47'03.00".
Just as in the weight throw, Findlay's men shined in the shot put, taking the first five places in the event and all earning an NCAA provisional. Senior Taylor Miller led the way with his throw of 58'08.75". In second was sophomore Ben Hahler (56'08.00") and in third was senior Brian Jennings (55'09.00"). Rounding out the top five was senior Mathieu Maroccia (54'11.50") and senior Justin Welch (54'08.75").
Senior Jacob Miller showed his all-around athleticism in the heptathlon where he took fourth place with 3,814 points. He took first place in both the 60 meter hurdles and the 60 meter dash portions of the event.
The team will be back in action next week as they host the Findlay Open and the 7th Annual Elite Throws Competition. The events will be held on Friday, January 30.